Duet
' |image= |series= |production=40511-419 |producer(s)= |story=Lisa Rich & Jeanne Carrigan-Fauci |script=Peter Allan Fields |director=James L. Conway |imdbref=tt0708529 |guests=Harris Yulin as Marritza, Marc Alaimo as Gul Dukat, Ted Sorel as Kaval, Tony Rizzoli as Kainon, Norman Large as Captain, Robin Christopher as Neela |previous_production=Dramatis Personae |next_production=In the Hands of the Prophets |episode=DS9 S01E18 |airdate=13 Jun. 1993 |previous_release=Dramatis Personae |next_release=In the Hands of the Prophets |story_date(s)=Unknown (2369) |previous_story=(DS9) Dramatis Personae (Overall) Timescape |next_story=(DS9) In the Hands of the Prophets (Overall) Descent Part 1 }} =Summary= A freighter docks at Deep Space 9 so one of its passengers may receive treatment for a condition called Kalla-Nohra. Dr. Bashir is unfamiliar with the condition, but Major Kira recognizes it, and informs Commander Benjamin Sisko that Kalla-Nohra was only contracted during a mining accident at a brutal labor camp called Gallitep, during the Cardassian occupation of Bajor. As Kira had originally helped liberate the camp, she asks to interrogate the passenger. Arriving in the Infirmary, Kira discovers that Bashir's new patient is, in fact, a Cardassian. She has the man arrested as a war criminal only to find his name, Aamin Marritza, is not listed for any crimes. Sisko sees no option but to let Marritza go, yet Kira is adamant— Marritza is a Cardassian who was present at Gallitep, which is reason enough. Sisko decides to investigate further and has the man held in custody. Further suspicions arise when Marritza claims he has never been to Bajor, an obvious lie as Bashir's tests confirm that the man has Kalla-Nohra. Citing a conflict of interest, Sisko asks Kira to remove herself from the case, but her emotional plea and a promise that she will remain professional convince him to let her continue. When she interrogates Marritza, he claims that while he served at Gallitep, he was only a file clerk. He claims the atrocities the Bajorans believe occurred at Gallitep were an illusion meant to keep other Bajorans fearful of the Cardassians. An investigation corroborates Marritza's story, forcing Kira to cope with the possibility he may go free. Dax offers Kira advice and a sympathetic ear, but cautions that if Marritza is wrongfully punished, then the exercise will have been pointless. A photograph from Gallitep reveals that the man being held is not Aamin Marritza but Gul Darhe'el, the "Butcher of Gallitep" who reportedly murdered thousands of Bajorans. When confronted with this information; the prisoner proudly admits to being Darhe'el. Kira is shaken. Darhe'el seems convincing, however he lets slip the name of Kira's resistance cell during the occupation— information too obscure for him to know. Other inconsistencies in his story also stand out. Gul Dukat asserts that Darhe'el is dead (buried under one of the largest military monuments on Cardassia, where half of the population - Dukat himself included - viewed his body in state); furthermore, Darhe'el was off-world during the Kalla-Nohra outbreak and thus could not possibly have the disease. Odo asks Dr. Bashir to examine the prisoner's medical history. Kira is dismissive of this and asserts that the prisoner will stand trial. Dr. Bashir learns that "Darhe'el" has undergone cosmetic surgery, leading Kira to realize that the prisoner is Marritza, as she initially believed, but he wanted to be recognized as Darhe'el. Kira confronts the prisoner with this information. Marritza breaks down as he speaks, branding himself a coward. He begs Kira to prosecute him, insisting that Cardassia must be forced to admit its wrongdoings and that he is as guilty for remaining silent as Darhe'el was for committing the atrocities. Hence his impersonation of Darhe'el: he wanted Bajor to give him the trial and sentence that Darhe'el deserved. Kira releases him, realizing he is a good man so traumatized and remorseful from his experiences that he would give up his life to make amends. She insists that another murder is not the answer and that too many good people have already died; she will not kill another. Kira and Odo escort Marritza to a ship departing from the station. Marritza laments that now that his identity has been exposed he cannot bring about change for his people. Kira assures him that his actions were honourable; if his people are going to change, people like him are needed to lead the way. On the way out of the Promenade, Marritza is suddenly stabbed and killed by a Bajoran. When Kira demands to know why, the Bajoran echoes her earlier sentiment: being a Cardassian is reason enough. "No!", Kira realizes, "It's not". =Errors and Explanations= Plot Oversights # Kira speaks of “liberating” the forced labor camp known as Gallitepp. Yet apparently this “liberation” was accomplished without Kira ever seeing the camp's Cardassian leader's face, because she doesn't know Gul Darhe'el on sight. (Hmmm.) Darhe’el may have escaped during the beginning of the raid, before Kira’s part of the resistance cell arrived. # Learning of Marritza's detention, Gul Dukat and Sisko have a little chat. During one exchange, Dukat slates that he will hold Sisko personally responsible if any of the Bajoran hatemongers get their hands on Manitza. I wonder - did Dukat hold Sisko responsible? After all. a hatemonger did get his hands on Marritza and killed him! Dukat was probably pursuaded to forget the whole thing. # The final revelation of Marritza's true identity begins when Odo refuses to believe that Marrilza would know Kira was in the Shakaar resistance cell. Marritza, posing as Darhe‘el, fluffs off Kira's questions on the matter, stating that he read it in a report that came across his desk. Interestingly enough, later revelations about Cardassians make me wonder why Odo would doubt Manitza on this matter. According to Sisko in The Maquis Part 1, the Cardassians are famous tor their photographic memories. cultivated by an intense mind control program that begins at age four. Wouldn‘t Odo have had some exposure to these particular Cardassian skills‘? And if so, why does he seem surprised that Gul Darhe'el would remember that Kira belonged to the Shakaar resistance cell? It would take only one report mentioning this fact, wouldn't it? Not necessarily - there is the possibility that the report could be fake. # Having become suspicious that the prisoner who claims to be Gul Darhe'el is actually someone else, Odo has a conversation with Gul Dukat. In it they argue over whom Odo has incarcerated. Gul Dukat's position is that it cannot be Darhe'el because he attended Darhe'el‘s funeral six years prior. So why doesn't Odo just show Dukat a picture of the guy in the cell? He looks exactly like Darhe'el doesn't he? Dukat may not accept that as proof. # And speaking of pictures, why isn't Darhe‘el's picture shown on the death certiﬁcate that Odo presents to Sisko? Why would there be a picture on the actual death certificate? # As Slsko and crew close in on the fact that the prisoner is actually Marritza, Bashir reports that the Cardassian is under treatment for Kalla Nohra and a tew other minor ailments “related to his age." Whose age? Marritza's or Darhe'el's? In the one image that shows both men at Gallitepp, Marritza looks decades younger than Darhe‘el. lf this is the case, why would Marritza be suffering from ailments related to old age? Conversely, it Bashir means to say that the prisoner suffers merely from the ailments at middle age, then doesn't that lend credence to the fact that the Cardasslan in custody is too young to be Darhe'el? Marritza may have been older that he looked – just like many members of the acting profession! # Odo puts in a pitiful showing as chief of Security at the end of this episode. The Bajoran killer approaches from behind Odo and has to overtake the shape shitter to get to Marritza. l have always been stunned that Odo didn’t sense the guy coming up behind him. This brings up another point. Those eyes that Odo simulates aren't real eyes, right? In addition, we find out in The Alternate that Odo demonstrated his sentience to Dr. Mora by becoming a beaker. (This was just before Odo ran of to join The Muppet Show. Just joking.) To become a beaker, Odo had to see - or at least perceive - the beaker. Since Odo had not formed a humanoid face yet. we must conclude that Odo can analyze and interpret patterns of light without the benefit of his fake humanoid eyeballs. It that's true, l see no reason why Odo wouldn‘t have the ability to see out his back - given that we have seen on numerous occasions that his uniform is actually formed by his shape shifting. Unfortunately, the high probability that Odo can see in any direction only worsened his incompetence at the end of the episode! Maybe he concentrates on seeing using his eyes while in humanoid form. # Finally, why doesn't anyone call for Dr. Bashir after Marritza is assaulted? It's only a knife wound. for crying out loud! This is the twenty-fourth century! Shock combined with the apparent severity of the injuries. Changed Premises # At the end ol the episode. a Bajoran “hatemonger"—to use Dukat’s terminology—stabs Marritza in the back I could have sworn that Odo said in Emissary that he doesn't allow weapons on the promenade. I also could have sworn that he told the Duras sisters in Past Prologue that they could leave their weapons or leave the station. I also could have sworn that Captive Pursuit showed us that the promenade has security sensors that sweep for weapons. So how did this lone knifeman get past all that security? The knife may not have been recognised as a weapon by the security sensors. Nit Central # Kathryn Ramage on Saturday, January 15, 2000 - 1:56 pm: The timeline in this episode is a bit odd: Kira says that she helped to liberate the Gallitep labor camp 12 years ago. Darheel has been dead for 6. At this point in the series, the Occupation ended barely a year ago. Now, it's not impossible that the Resistance succeeded in closing down Gallitep that long before the end of the Occupation. Nor is it impossible that Darheel's death was not broadcast to the still-occupied Bajor (although you'd think that if it was, Kira would have heard of it; the death of the hated Darheel would've been a cause for celebration even if it were from natural causes). Not impossible, but it just seems...funny. And what about Marritza's final rant, where he describes Darheel's abandoning Gallitep—doesn't it sound like this happened at the same time as the withdrawal of Cardassian forces from Bajor? And yet Darheel died years before! Perhaps the Cardassians chose not to reveal the news of Darheel’s death to the Bajorans, in order to threaten them with his possible return. # >>goog on Wednesday, August 08, 2001 - 7:32 am:<